Arts as a Tool for Social Change – EU funds Barabar Initiative (Going) Grassroot
Is art merely an aesthetic expression, or can it be utilized to address social issues? What are some of the working models of collaborations between artists and cultural institutions? How can we be more inclusive in our artistic work, and how can we address communities through artistic work? How does gender sensitivity play a role in making our art more inclusive?
These are just some of the questions answered in the Toolkit for Promoting the Use of Art and Culture in Local Initiatives, published by local NGOs Integra and CASA with EU support. By highlighting the transformative role of art, the Toolkit that was promoted at BARABAR Centre in Pristina this September, equips readers to address social challenges and facilitate inter-community dialogue. Tailored to Kosovo’s unique context, it ensures that its approaches are relevant and impactful for those seeking to create meaningful, lasting change.
Integra and CASA are the managing partners of the EU-funded project BIG – Barabar Initiative (Going) Grassroot. BIG is an innovative initiative that seeks to empower grassroots organizations, women cultural activists, and artists across Kosovo to leverage art and culture as tools for promoting social inclusion, community cohesion, and democratic participation. The project focuses on strengthening local actors, creating a platform for collaboration, and addressing key social challenges by fostering policy advocacy and cultural activism from the ground up.
EU in Kosovo
One of the key components of the project is the Barabar Grassroots Network, a platform that enables grassroots organizations, women artists, local cultural practitioners, and artists to collaborate, exchange ideas, and amplify their impact.
A thorough mapping of women artists and CSOs in Kosovo preceded the open call for applications to join the network, which then resulted in the selection of a diverse range of individual women artists/activists, also known as artivists, on one side, and local CSOs representing different communities living in Kosovo on the other. These CSOs either have experience using arts as a tool for social change or aspire to integrate art into their everyday work with their communities.
EU in Kosovo
The Barabar Grassroots Network now represents 25 members, including 10 individual artists and 15 grassroots CSOs. Through their membership in the Barabar Grassroots Network, the members are qualified to apply for the call to support their local initiatives using arts to address social issues related to their communities. The call will follow as a next step after the members have completed three sessions of capacity-building training, designed to strengthen their abilities to employ the tools and techniques of art and cultural activism to foster positive social change and promote inclusive social integration. These sessions also aim to enhance skills in designing inclusive strategies and work models, as well as in fundraising and project management.
The first of the three training sessions has already taken place last month in Brezovicë/Brezovica, under the title Employing the Tools and Techniques of Art and Cultural Activism to Foster Inclusive Social Integration, exploring how art can serve as a catalyst for social change.
EU in Kosovo
The resulting project ideas, ranging from slam poetry in traditional kullas to interactive sculptures and art therapy workshops, demonstrated how partnerships between artists and CSOs can merge creativity with community empowerment to foster inclusion and social transformation.
Thanks to EU funding, communities across Kosovo will benefit from initiatives centered around artistic expression that address their problems and needs. Based on the full-circle logic, the BIG project will create a longstanding impact—both on the artists and CSOs involved, through capacity building and direct support, and on the communities with and for whom these initiatives will be implemented.
